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Hierophancy of Heol
The Hierophancy of Heol is a defunct religious order formed in the Black Morass long before the Arathorian Conquest. Based in blood magic, sacrifice, and conquest, the religion bore striking and disturbing resemblance to the Atal'ai worship of Hakkar the Soulflayer. After the conquest of the Agusti by the Arathorian Third Legion, the Hierophancy was declared an enemy of the state and the Church, and what little of its membership remained after the Battle of the Sorrow was hunted down by Church zealots led by Baroness Valencia Saint-Auguste. In the modern day, it remains little more than a legend of the Agusti's terrible past. History WiP Tenets The Hierophancy values power and dominance above all else. All actions taken by the faithful are meant to simultaneously glorify the Blood Shade Heol and take steps toward their own Ascension. Mercy is seen as a weakness, even to their own people. The blood of the faithful may be spilt as readily as the blood of the faith's enemies. The sole exception is the blood of apostates, who have forsaken the oaths they swore; their bodies are to be destroyed in a manner that prevents their cursed blood from making contact with the faithful or polluting Heol's holy places. Ascension Ascension is a fairly enigmatic concept under the Hierophancy. It is a concept built within a concept the faithful alternatively call "The Thrill," "the Purpose," and "the Moment," all of which quite literally describe the moment in which an adherent kills someone in a manner pleasing to Heol. In this brief moment when the light leaves their sacrifice's eyes, an adherent is believed to hear an echo of Heol's true name, giving them great power and ecstasy, but only for the most fleeting of moments. More sacrifices will be required to feel that presence again. One who has Ascended is one who is so immersed in the ways of Heol that they hear Heol's true name in one of these moments of blood sacrifice and remember it, therefore retaining Heol's power and experiencing nothing but pure, unadulterated pleasure for all eternity. Whether any in the Hierophancy's history have actually achieved this state is a matter for debate for the few scholars who dare study the ancient religion. Ascension is achieved through one of three Paths, each of which has its own structure but plays into the next. Path of Conquest The first path is called the Path of Conquest, and it is this path that common adherents of this faith follow to Ascension. This path requires no vows and no alterations to one's way of life, merely a belief in Heol's power and a desire to achieve Ascension. Those who follow this path attempt to find Ascension by obeying the Hierophancy and by killing the foes of Heol in holy war, in hopes that they will kill enough that Heol's true name will become known to them. They received no special treatment in the eyes of the Hierophancy nor the ancient Agusti kingdom. Path of Reverence The second path is called the Path of Reverence. This path requires indoctrination into the Hierophancy and blood oaths to be sworn before Heol, swearing fealty eternal and devotion to the dark texts of the Blood Shade; however, no prior education in the faith is required, nor are any special gifts. Followers of the Path of Reverence attend a sort of seminary, in which they commit to memory the texts and rites of Heol. Upon their successful graduation from this seminary, they are assigned as Cantors, either to small denominations that has no Hierophant or to act as an assistant to a Hierophant. A Cantor leads invocations for the common adherent, reciting the texts and hymns they know, perform ceremonies - such as animal sacrifice - and aid in the practice of Hierophants' rituals. A Cantor hopes that their immersion in Heol's word will grant them clarity to divine His true name. They are still reliant on the guidance of Hierophants for this, however, and many also follow the Path of Conquest to increase their chances of Ascension. Path of Consumption The third and final path is called the Path of Consumption. Those that follow this path are the ultimate servants of Heol, and the ones His enemies need fear the most. Followers of this path are selected at a young age by the Hierophancy and trained in the ancient texts, alongside followers of the Path of Reverence. However, in addition to this, they swear additional oaths, binding their very lives to Heol. An acolyte of the Path of Consumption will write, before their anointment as a full Hierophant, their own hymn to Heol that personifies their own all-consuming and terrible faith; this hymn will then be inscribed on their own body. It is only to these worthiest of adherents that the secrets of Heol's power taught. Many do not survive the process, and either become sacrifice in one of their brethren's rituals or become apostates, hunted by the faithful. Those that do, however, have dread mastery of blood magic, performing eldritch rituals and bloody sacrifices to appease their god and wield an inkling of His power. Only these adherents may claim the title of Hierophant, and any who does bear this title bears the legacy of generations of blood priests, whose power consumed armies. A Hierophant lives no life but the one they dedicate to Heol. They follow both lower paths as well as part of their route to Ascension.Category:House of Saint-Auguste Category:Religion